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Review: Silas Nello – Daingerfield EP

No matter the extent of originality a musician or artist may claim, there is no denying they, like most everyone else, are a product of their surroundings. As a result, musician’s sound is a product of their influence. For instance, Muse influenced by T. Rex, Coldplay ripping off Travis, etc. And currently there is an underground trend in Oklahoma and Texas where the sounds of Graham Parsons, and the like, are influencing a young group of musicians.

While the world may never get to experience the glory of the Magnolia Boys, and the depth of my pain to this realization is hardly measurable, the arms of No One’s Someone are beginning to come to light in various alternate forms.

Cruising in from North Texas, Magnolia Boy Silas Nello just released Daingerfield. In contrast to the Dallas area, this EP is anything but flat. Nello’s poetic southern songwriter style dances along the fretboard with dusty boots and worn jeans as it plays to a heartfelt collection of six tracks intertwined with an impassioned reflection. However waxing-of-love-songs that this may seem, we can’t simply dismiss the edge and foot-tapping qualities of the EP.

That edge is most apparent with the sharp licks and gun slinging attitude of “Make It Home.” But then the acoustic/harp paired “All Right, Rosie” strolls right into your familiarity like a buddy at an old bar you haven’t seen in years. The swagger of the large, landscaping sound embodies all the best in a love song while doing so in a way that is still more man than Justin Bieber will ever be. With the rolling, miles-under-the-tires feel of “Easy” the sound draws a line reminiscent of the longing for adventure of early Jackson Browne. Capping off Daingerfield with “Ghost In My Shoes,” Silas Nello collects all that is great with his sound. It is sincere, unapologetic, and organic. It encapsulates the great southern sounds we’re seeing from the tumbleweed sounds influenced by great songwriters before them.

Admittedly, we must embrace the influence of predecessors. More importantly we must appreciate the evolution they afford to musicians riding their trails and travelling their freeways. I can’t think of a better example of this than Silas Nello’s Daingerfield.DAINGERFIELD by Silas Nello

Greg is a co-founder and regular contributor of Nanobot Rock. He has been to North Texas and assures you, it is flat